Friday, April 18, 2014

.....for the Robin family. After sitting on her eggs for over 17 days, she left the nest. She came back the next two days to sit for about half an hour each time.

I checked the eggs. They were cold. I opened one, then two and then all three. They looked as fresh as if she had just laid them. They were not fertile.

It was so sad to see her come back and try and try. Even Mr. Robin landed on the nest, the 15th day, with a worm in his beak. I watched him look at the inside of the nest.....first with one eye and then turned his head to look with his other. He ate the worm and left. He knew.

The nest is still there waiting for a family. Maybe, just maybe, we'll still get to see some baby robins in it this year.

Thursday, February 13, 2014

This coop and run was delivered to us in June 2013. Nice, right. Picture it without grass inside.

Well, it wasn't today. See the latch on the long side of the 4'x8' run that is only 3' tall?

I was wanting to take a really good look inside so I took the spring hook off, did a squat and closed the door behind me. Yup, you got it.....I locked myself inside the run. Stop laughing so you can read on.

See this lovely, clean inside with such a beautiful brand spanking new ladder....all untouched by Le Poo?

You got it.

After I yelled for help, it dawned on me that I could be in here with the chickens for hours! I wasn't

the only one not happy with me in there. The girls were tilting their heads and following me around talking to me. At that moment, I was very happy it wasn't a puppy who would be ALL over me!

I assessed the situation and saw a possible escape route to the left of the ladder and under

the roost that is about 18" high.

Never mind that I had "to town" jeans on.....but luckily I had the "feed the chickens and clean the roost" jacket on, so I got on my elbows and felt like I was crawling under barbed wire telling myself to keep my head down (yes, I told myself to keep that part down, too).

This is another early photo of one the girls getting used to the coop. See that feeder in the far back? The

water container wasn't in there so I could finish crawling through the mud and poo around the feeder.

It was really tough on me with the painful tendinitis in my left wrist but I persevered.

Monday, December 23, 2013

It was 1990. I graduated from the Reserve Police Academy that summer as an Officer; money was tight as I worked for minimum wage to make a living for my one-year-old son and me; and I was going through a divorce.
It was December 24th and I was finishing up a sweater I was knitting as a gift for my son when I got a late phone call from one of the office gals at the PD. She said someone left some boxes of presents in my name and asked me to come get them. I looked at the clock and saw it was after 10 pm but told her I would right away.
I got my son and bundled him up and we drove the 13 miles to town. When I walked into the PD, no one was there but the 2 big boxes full of presents for my son. I packed them into my '87 Toyota pickup and we drove back home.
After tucking my son back in bed, I hauled the boxes into the house and placed them under the tree and finished up his sweater. I cried and cried with the thought that someone cared enough about us to do this. I still had no idea who did this.
Morning came and my son (about to turn 2) jumped around with excitement at the colorfully wrapped gifts under the tree. I soon found out they came from the Radio Shack store that was owned by Keith Mercer and his wife. Keith was a police officer there. I did not think of Keith this way as he was very serious about his work.
This was the most memorable Christmas ever and I reflect back on it every year.
I am ever so grateful to him and the PD for giving me so much.....not only the gifts for my son but the gifts I learned as a Reserve Police Officer.
Merry Christmas to all.....

Sunday, December 15, 2013

I just came in after locking the three girls out of their huge run so I could dig up some carrots. They wanted in badly because I had the tool that digs up worms. Oh, yeah!
I caved and let them in and dug up some worms and such. Princess Pea ran to the roost and I thought, Ah, an egg will soon be here, and went back to digging for #1 and Tattie. Lo and behold, Princess Pea was back. Hmmm, I know she didn't have enough time to do her job. She must have thought, I have a few minutes before I have to.
Never mind, I thought, and went back to digging. Oh! There goes Princess Pea running to the roost, again! This time she didn't come back.....not even for worms. I'm still laughing at how she thought she could squeeze in one more worm before squeezing out one more egg. LOLOL

Sunday, December 1, 2013

First, prepare a piroshki dough you make the night before. Don't have a good recipe? Email me and I'll send one to you....Check my profile for that.

Then chop up your leftover turkey and place in one bowl, stuffing and mashed potatoes in another bowl, vegetable of your choice and some grated cheese.

The assembly line is ready!

Filled pastries are ready for their egg wash.

I used parchment paper for easy clean up.

Last time I used the piroshki dough recipe, I used cooked sausage and scrambled eggs for the filling. It's a great way to start the day by taking one out of the freezer and placing in the microwave for only 30-45 seconds. Yum!

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Who I am...in a nutshell

I am my mother's daughter. She taught me how to knit, ride a horse, love and enjoy the unique characteristics of all living things, shoot a .22 rifle, drive a car, cook, be kind to people (if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all), sing, and country dance.
Back to knitting...I dream, think, read and talk knitting.
I knit every day.

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"There are few things as rewarding as having someone comment on your blog. You have to think about it, knit it, write it, take the pictures, upload it...so when someone says something nice, it's an automatic pat on the back!" Fleegle